Grantee Profile: International Development Enterprises

Poor farmers in developing countries can raise their incomes by growing fruits and vegetables, which sell at higher prices at market than subsistence crops such as cassava, millet, and sorghum.

However, fruits and vegetables require much more water to grow. With a typical drip irrigation system costing $6,000 per acre, the cost of bringing water to their fields is far beyond the reach of most small farmers.

International Development Enterprises (IDE), a nonprofit corporation, has developed a much more affordable irrigation system that can cost as little as $37 per acre—a huge savings over alternative forms of access to water. Key innovations include the treadle pump, which draws ground water and is constructed of low-cost piping. The pump is powered by a person treading on a levered mechanism instead of a motor, which runs on fuel or electricity.

Costing only $25 to purchase and install, treadle pumps result in average annual returns of four times their cost. A $100 annual return can make a real difference to a family that earns about a dollar a day.

Helping Small Farmers Thrive

The Mwanzas family, who live on a small farm in Lusaka, Zambia, understood the potential of IDE’s treadle pump the first time they saw it. They purchased their first pump five years ago and a second, pressurized version three years ago. They are now able to irrigate a full hectare of dry-season crops, including kale, sun hemp, cassava, banana, and cabbage. The family also planted about 350 coffee plants, which will yield a valuable crop within three years.

IDE helped the Mwanzas and other farmers in their area negotiate a contract to supply their vegetables to Agriflora, a company that exports high-value vegetables to Europe. Agriflora provides products such as seed, fertilizer, and pest control services, which the Mwanzas pay back at the time of harvest.

Previously, the Mwanza family had always lived hand-to-mouth. “Before IDE, we couldn't grow enough food to feed our family, let alone sell," said Robert Mwanza, who lives with his wife, Avarim, and their eight children.

They now have the opportunity to plan into the future. Within three years, said Mwanza, "I'll be able to afford a diesel pump. Then I'll increase my growing area again and grow an even larger variety of crops."

Making Technology Affordable

IDE has developed other low-cost, high-value technologies, such as a drip irrigation system, which, at $3 per system, is five times cheaper than any other irrigation system on the market.

Under the leadership of its president, Paul Polak, IDE has a two-decade track record developing and disseminating affordable technologies to those who need them most. To ensure that farmers have access to products they need to grow their crops—and markets in which to sell them—IDE also has helped form nearly 1,000 farmer groups and marketing committees. These organizations help farmers pool their risks, share access to water, and sell their crops in bulk to traders.

Thanks to IDE’s integrated approach, these affordable technologies have been purchased by more than three million poor farm families, representing 17 million people. Using these systems to cultivate high-value crops, some of these families have increased their net annual income by 300 percent.

Partners in Africa and Asia

The foundation has provided a $13.4 million grant to IDE to develop and disseminate new, radically affordable irrigation technologies for small farmers in Nepal, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and Zambia over the next four years. Our goal is to nearly double the annual income of 100,000 rural families who survive on less than $1 a day.

Our partners are working with a network of businesses, NGOs, and government agencies about IDE's affordable irrigation systems for growing fruits and vegetables. They're also partnering with farmer organizations and marketing cooperatives to link poor farmers to lucrative fruit and vegetable markets. And IDE is producing and disseminating manuals in several local languages that explain how to use the technology.